Those of you not old enough to have grown up with the theatrical awesomeness of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will recognize KISS as one of the most well-worn acronyms in the English language. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

And KISS most certainly applies to the website for your bar or restaurant. You might be proud of the eight videos and 75 graphics you have working on the front page of TedsCoolTavern.com right now, but chances are it’s only serving to get in your customers’ way as they try and connect with you.

So what does your website really need?

Hours of Operation

Not a surprise, of course. People need to be able to figure out when you open and when you close. And it should be easily found.

Phone number

Also not a shocker. Get your main number up there, along with any other pertinent ones – fax, carry-out, etc – which interested parties might need to find quickly in order to connect. Make sure the numbers can be one-touch dialed from smart phones.

Location

Get your address on there, of course. But it’s not a bad idea to post directions or link to an interactive map, particularly if you’re hard to find. Sometimes a page with plain language references to landmarks and parking tips can be helpful.

Menu

In this age of easily accessible online information, some people won’t even bother with a restaurant unless they can look at the menu beforehand. A tip: Make sure that it’s not in PDF form. That will make it harder for readers to view, particularly on some smart phones.

Images

A few pretty pictures are helpful, but they need to actually be shots of your bar. In other words, don’t use generic pictures from the web showing the types of food you serve. Post high-quality (or at least as high-quality as you can realistically provide) images of your actual business.

Given how many bells and whistles can be placed on a website these days, this maybe seem a bit Spartan for your tastes. But rest assured, there are people who will be turned off by a site that drains their computer’s memory and/or makes finding the important information difficult.

After that? Well it’s time to rock and roll all night and party every day, of course.

Trusted by thousands of bars and restaurants in North America since 1984, Buzztime integrates trivia, card, sports games and live events with innovative tablet technology. While we don't take ourselves too seriously, this is pretty serious business.